Kingdom of Atlantis
The Kingdom of Atlantis '''is the kingdom of the merfolk race in the ''Aeon of the Champion ''story series. Its easternmost point lies just under the epicentre of the Sundering which destroyed Old Vigrith, near the Eastern Kingdoms (Laudrin, Dinith and Kha'Zad), while its westernmost point lies near Storm Island, off the coast of New Vigrith. Established in various stages after the fall of the Earth Watchers, it has been active for over 30,000 years. House Shimmerscale is the royal family of Atlantis, and have been since the coronation of Tyrina in -28,872. Origins Following the Sin War and collapse of the Princes of Hell, a preliminary race known only post hoc as ''aquagenarians ''inhabited the edges of the supercontinent Vigrith. Their people, scattered and disunited, were subject to constant attacks by marine competitors, particularly servants of Leviathan, the Lord of Envy, who saw the oceans as his alone and thus requiring cleansing from any impurities. For many years, this oppressive practice continued, yet many of the aquagenarians saw no way out of the crisis; they were bound to the seas, for they knew there was no way for them to survive on land. Thus, for the next thousands of years, they continued to suffer at the hands of Leviathan and his cruel nickari demi-demons. The leader of the nickars, Sea Scourge Shaz'tig, was immensely cruel towards the merfolk and had many of them tortured in broad daylight. In -32,000, High Watcher Shemyaza, deceived by his traitorous advisor Yeqon, took the Earth Watcher angels through the Fleshing, turning them mortal. Subsequently they fell to Middle-Earth as earthly beings of flesh and blood, and, in response to their newfound freedom, established the island nation of Terris Aurum with Shemyaza as King for Life. However, without the nourishing holy Light, a crippling depression followed by a series of failed relationships with mortal women led to the rise of the nephilim by -29,000, a race of man-giants who terrorised Terris Aurum. Spurred on by their ambitious chief, Anak, they planned to scale Bifrost and take over the New Silver City. Realising his forces were in short supply, for only one-third of the 600 Watchers had rebelled - Shemyaza was going to help, and quickly. Knowing the hostility of the trolls and their kin, he called out onto the oceans - the last place he knew to look - and the aquagenarians, fleeing endless persecution, took to his call like ducks to water indeed. The deal was made. In exchange for help defeating the nephilim, the now-mortal Watchers would help the aquagenarians defeat their enemy. During the Siege of the New Silver City, the nephilim, led by Anak, began to ascend the golden bridge Bifrost. It was a long journey, but eventually, they appeared to be halfway. The aquagenarians surmised that if they could break the bridge while the nephilim were still on it, they would fall to their watery deaths. Thus, just as Anak's twisted laughter made its way through the trembling walls of the capital, the signal was given, and the aquagenarians began beating on the structure, hurling their spear-like tails at its sides. Sensing the disaster, the nephilim attempted to ignore the bridge's trembling - until the trembling became severe and repetitive. By the time they started fleeing the city, the bridge was well on its way to falling apart. Indeed, the invasion was staved off; the nephilim were wholly drowned and Anak's plan was defeated. Grateful for his reprieve, Shemyaza sent Asbeel, Kabaiel and Penemue - all ranking former watchers - to help the aquagenerians establish a new home, safe from the attacks of the vengeful nickari. Thus, at the end of -28,874, the eastern corner of Old Vigrith became the site of a magnificent underwater city known as Atlantis, with anti-demon imprints embedded in its walls (devised by Kabaiel himself), and around it sprung a serene metropolis inspired by the otherwordly design of the New Silver City, capital of Terris Aurum. The once-divided aquagenarians now migrated to the city and its metropolis, attracted by a sense of belonging and united by a common ally - and enemy, and hence, they began to refer to one another as 'merfolk'. Soon afterwards a monarchy was established as the system of government, with Tyrina the Tidehunter becoming the first Queen of Atlantis. After this, Tyrina and Shemyaza declared war on the nickars. With their newfound power, the merfolk destroyed the insidious water-demons and drove them out of the Great Eastern Sea - at least, out of their sight. Tyrina soon realised firsthand that her problems were not over when she personally foiled several assassins sent to eliminate her. She eventually discovered, through interrogation, that Shaz'tig was still alive - somewhere. Forcing the nickars to confess his location, she led the warmaids to the Abyssal Maw and killed Shaz'tig, ending the nickars' power once and for all, and enabling Atlantis to truly shine as a kingdom, expanding in both directions until it became a fully-fledged underwater empire. Her 5,000-year reign began the dynasty of House Shimmerscale. Government structure Merfolk society is matriarchal and matrilineal; this is partly due to the fact that females severely outnumber males (56-44 out of every 100 births); the reigning sovereign is entitled to the address of both '''Matriarch of the Merfolk '''and '''Queen of the Ocean, due to the undisputed supremacy of the merfolk over the waters of Middle-Earth. The husband of the reigning sovereign is known as King of the Ocean, though his political power is limited - the most powerful male figure in this society is usually the Lord Councillor of the Ocean, who advises the Crown on political affairs and other matters of state, i.e. wars. Another very important role is that of Adjudicator of the Ocean. This person is tasked with protecting the waters around Atlantis, effectively, and the ocean in general. Similar to the rank of Guardian of Elmhurst, the Adjudicator rank is given to the most capable water-steward in the kingdom, but unlike the former title, is usually passed down the same family line for generations. Generally the royals, and noble families, hold the majority of political power, but would be considered reasonable not to abuse it. Trivia *Atlantis is the undisputed territory of the merfolk, a race comprised of mermaids, mermen, and other merish races. **Mermaids and mermen are considered the primary components of the race, with other merish races receiving the designation [[merlike]]. **This designation is controversial, as issues surrounding cultural identity and perceived supremacy have remained sensitive topics with deep, far-reaching political undertones. **Different Queens of the Ocean have taken different attitudes to the racial divide. '''Seraphina '''saw the merlike races as kin, and made a number of social reforms aimed at improving the welbeing of their communities - including entitlement of access to the kingdom. When her daughter '''Primarina '''took the throne, however, she reversed these changes, indicating a much dimmer view of these races than previous rulers. Category:Kingdoms Category:Aeon of the Champion articles Category:Aeon of the Champion locations Category:Aeon of the Champion organisations Category:Government organizations Category:Royal estates Category:Royal